One Fly Kit Utah Killer Bug **Honest Review**

by Dave
(Baton Rouge)

My experience here at Tenkara Bum has been stellar with pretty much every single thing I have purchased. So here is a short review on the One Fly Utah Killer Bug Kit.

*short review for impatient people. Is it worth it? Yes.*

Am I a beginner at tying flies? No, but I am certainly not a professional. With that said I know how to attach material to a hook and techniques like whip finishes. It has been a minute since I have tied a fly though, so I decided to try out one of the fly tying kits. This kit is supposed to come with everything you need to tie 25 flies, save the vise and the super glue (cannot be mailed).

Lately I have been super into Keiryu techniques so it was a bit refreshing to pick the flies back up. The kit that came was in good order and I was thrilled to start tying. The beautiful thing about the Utah Killer Bug is that it is a simple, simple, and did I say simple fly to tie. All that is needed is some yarn, hooks, and some wire. While the killer bug is a slightly weighted fly, I find that it casts on my seiryu rod just fine. So the tying began and before I knew it I had a pile of Utah Killer Bugs. On other forums that I am apart of I like to do my reviews in a simple fashion The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

The Good: The kit is sleek, the materials are super high quality, the instructions are well written, and the Utah Killer Bug pulled 4 nice brim out of the "Dead Lake" in about 30 min.

The Bad: The kit assumes you know how to do things like a whip finish and to properly attach material to a hook. I would love to see a beginning fly tying pamphlet included with these kits, as it may be somebody's first foray into the world of fly tying.

The Ugly: Not very ugly, but my Kit ran out of yarn after 18 flies (had plenty of wire and hooks). I really like to conserve material in fly tying and I tied them exactly how the instructions read with almost no left overs. When I first began fly tying, I wasted a lot of material and nothing is more frustrating for a perfectionist than to mess up and that cost them a fly. I would like to see more yarn included in this kit, as beginners make mistakes and yarn is pretty inexpensive (though I have 18 very good looking flies). Could a pro like Tom Davis Squeeze 25 flies out of the included yarn??? Maybe, but I'm no pro and I bet the people buying this kit aren't either.

Summary: The kit is simple and worth it and really this is the only fly pattern you will ever need. If you have never tied flies before this is a great idea and way to start. It should be mentioned that while I only got 18 flies, my local Orris Store sells the Utah Killer Bug already tied for $2.25 a fly. So 18 for 10 bucks? HECK YES!! However, if you are more than a beginner **and already know how to tie the Utah Killer Bug** then just buy all the materials separately and you will only be limited by the amount of hooks you have. If you are a beginner BUY the Kit!

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.